First Watch Restaurant

Our family has gotten into the routine of eating one meal out over the weekend. It works well for me as it is one less meal to prepare (and one less mess to clean up!). For some time we had been going out for dinner and enjoying the evenings out. However, by the time we got home it was bedtime and I felt like we’d lost a night at home together. On the advice of my husband, we’ve switched things up a bit and have been going out for lunch instead of dinner. We’ve found that it works well for us and have made it our Saturday tradition. In addition to getting our evenings at home back, an added bonus we’ve discovered is that we rarely have to wait for a table.

We recently were looking for something other than typical “kid-friendly” fare and decided to try First Watch. My husband and I had eaten there, but never with our girls. Billed as a “daytime café” (open from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily), First Watch offers breakfast, brunch and lunch menu options. My girls have inherited my love for breakfast and could eat it for three meals a day! I wasn’t surprised that both went the breakfast route and chose the chocolate chip pancake that came with bacon or sausage and a drink ($4.29). I ordered the “Not Guilty Your Honor” sandwich ($6.79), while my husband had the Al B. Core tuna sandwich ($6.99). Both sandwiches were served with First Watch potatoes and fruit salad.

We were only on our third game of tic tac toe when our food arrived. What a nice treat to receive our food so quickly! Excluding the bites I managed to sneak, both girls devoured their pancakes. My sandwich was delicious--a warm pita with hummus and vegetables (I’m still trying to figure out what the name means), and my husband enjoyed his tuna (understand the name on that one). I really loved the potatoes--warm on the inside, just the right crunch on the outside and not at all greasy!

Every server we encountered was helpful and polite. Each time someone came to our table they made a point to engage our girls in conversation. A small gesture that I really appreciated, it made my girls feel special. It was chilly outside when we visited but we left First Watch with full bellies and warm smiles!